As communications networks have grown in complexity, the task of effective network management has become increasingly important.
An important aspect of network management is the topology of the network, which traditionally includes network connectivity. Equally important for effective network management and planning is information concerning configuration and performance characteristics, such as bandwidth and load.
The visual representation of networks in traditional network management systems is limited to the topology and connectivity of the network, see, e.g. a publication by John Jamison et al “vBNS: not your father's Internet”, 2001 [on the world wide web at vbns.net/index.html]; “Map of an Aggregated View of the MBGP Topology”, 2002 [on the world wide web at caida.org/tools/measurement/]; Ndn-map from NORDUnet, 2002 (Nordic Internet Highway to Research and Education Networks in Nordic Countries) [on the world wide web at nordu.net/]; and promotional brochure “High Performance Nationwide IP Network”, 2001, of WorldCom [on the world wide web at vbns.net]. Unfortunately, none of the current technologies provides adequate visualization for monitoring both network topology and network performance.
Accordingly, there is a need for the development of an improved method for visualization of an optical network topology, which would be particularly applicable to wavelength channel visualization.